Malo e lelei! The adventures in Tonga are over! Last night we came back to Auckland... The trip back and the last day in Tonga was not that easy... Let me tell you the story from the beginning... Okay, so we finally got on the ferry to Eua! The two hour boat ride there was really something... The waves were as big as the boat and we had to keep our eyes on the horizon not to feel sick. Not so pleasant, but totally worth the pain - Eua is an amazing island! Lots...

Tonga, Tonga, Tonga! Four days in Tonga behind us, 4 still to go... It is rain season at the moment, but we've had plenty of sunshine and hot humid air (except for the first two days with tropical rain pouring down non-stop!)... Tonga tapu (the biggest island in Tonga) is really small and quite undeveloped...Nothing much to do here, but soak up the sun, check out the blow holes and some random caves... Drinking kava ["calming and relaxing" drink made o...

The big city of Auckland! With Haka Kapa Festival at Tauranga, geothermal action in Rotorua, the sleepy small Orewa behind us, we are now in the only really big city in New Zealand - Auckland! The Kapa Haka Maori festival in Tauranga was really something... Tribes/teams battling against each other in traditional maori performing arts [singing and dancing]! There was a really special warm atmosphere there and really amazing! We were blown away by the skills of t...

Pohjois-saarella ollaan! Wellingtonissa piipahdettiin nopsaan ja kaytiin ilmaisessa Te Papa-museossa! Museossa oli kivoja vempaimia ja paljon infoa Uuden Seelannin historiasta, kulttuurista ja luonnosta! Kaupungin ihmispaljous hammensi aluksi korvessa vietettyjen paivien jalkeen... Siirryimme Napier-nimiseen "art deco" kaupunkiin. Kaupunki tuhoutui aikoinaan maanjaristyksessa ja se rakennettiin uudestaan maanjaristyksen yhteydessa nousseelle maalle! U...

Kayaking at Abel Tasman...! From Kaikoura we drove up to Takaka, next to Abel Tasman National Park and decided to hire a kayak for two days! We hired some camping gear as well [tent, sleeping bags, cooker etc] and planned to do some camping for one night in the area! Abel Tasman is really pretty and it was amazing to come so close to nature and all the sea creatures... We saw a cute penguin for example, and the little fellow came swimming and diving right next ...